Thousands of Australian children could miss out on educational essentials as they head back to school due to the rising cost of living, a national survey published by The Smith Family shows.

The survey of nearly 2,000 families supported by the charity has revealed 87.1 per cent of parents and carers worry about being able to afford what their children need to start the school year, including digital devices, internet access, school supplies and uniforms.

More than half of respondents (51.6 per cent) think their children are likely to miss out on the digital devices needed for their schoolwork because they won’t be able to afford them.

Two in 10 (21.6 per cent) think their children will miss out on internet access for schoolwork, four in 10 (40.5 per cent) believe their children will miss out on other school supplies, and three in 10 (29.7 per cent) say their children will miss out on uniforms or shoes for school.

“Devices such as laptops and reliable internet are absolutely part of these education essentials in today’s world, yet digital access and affordability is a major issue for students in low-income households,” said Doug Taylor, The Smith Family CEO.

“This is not a new challenge, but it has been exacerbated by the rapid shift to remote learning during the pandemic and cost-of-living increases are making things even more difficult.” 

One caregiver said, “Through Covid-19 and inflation, [my] kids’ grades went backwards and the school expectations of laptops for every child has now become the hardest [for] my child.”

“Having internet that is unreliable and a lack of devices doesn’t help either,” said another. “There is so much assumption about what access students have including to streaming services that it places more burdens on families.”

Out of the 60,000 students currently sponsored by The Smith Family, 1,955 Learning for Life scholarship recipients live in the ACT.

Forty local public schools work in partnership with the charity, and while The Smith Family has received some government funding in the past, the majority comes from sponsors.

ACT/NSW regional manager, Olga Srbovski, says the findings of the national survey “very much” reflect what sponsored families in the ACT are experiencing.

“I can tell you that here in the ACT it’s not dissimilar,” she said. “We also have the increase in cost of living that is affecting the families that we work with.

“Some of our children are really at risk of missing out on educational essentials.”

She noted that one resource Year 7-12 students can access in the ACT that is not available in NSW is the chrome books provided by the ACT government to all public schools.

An ACT Education spokesperson added that all public primary schools have access to devices and internet to facilitate classroom learning, however, as Ms Srbovski noted, this does not necessarily extend to devices required at home for Years 1-6.

“The [lockdowns] really impacted our young people, a lot of our students that were far behind fell even further behind,” Ms Srbovski said.

The Smith Family’s solution to the growing need is to call upon Australians for 6,230 new sponsors as part of their Back-to-School Appeal.

Within the ACT, that equates to $84,000 in funding to assist an additional 202 students in need.

Sponsors are encouraged to donate “the cost of a coffee a day”, a minimum of $55 per month.

“We like to bring them in very early in their education, support the child until they reach Year 12,” Ms Srbovski said.

The evidence-based education support program is shown to improve learning outcomes for children experiencing disadvantage, and can cost donors upwards of $7,920 over 12 years.

CW asked ACT Education if there was a more sustainable answer in the works to support disadvantaged students with the rising cost of living.

“The ACT Government believes every child deserves a great education and the life chances which flow from it,” said an ACT Education spokesperson.

“All ACT public schools are resourced to help students access everyday essentials … Schools can help students access meals, personal hygiene products, school uniform items, book packs and stationery, school excursions, camps, transport, and enrichment activities.

“If parents or carers are experiencing a situation that affects their ability to meet the costs of schooling or everyday essentials for their children, we encourage them to talk to us,” the spokesperson said.

“Families who are looking for help with the costs of schooling can talk to the school principal or other staff member about their situation, have a relative, caseworker, friend or advocate make contact on their behalf, or contact the Education Directorate at [email protected].”

The ACT Government’s Future of Education Equity Fund can provide financial support to eligible families. An application round will open in Term 1 2023.

To support The Smith Family’s Back to School Appeal, visit thesmithfamily.com.au/sponsor

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